ドブネズミ
dobunezumi
The English phrase "rats" can be translated into Japanese as ドブネズミ (dobunezumi).
In an interjection, ドブネズミ is used as an exclamation similar to saying "damn" or "darn".
Meaning: damn, darn (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
dobunezumi
Did you know?
- While ドブネズミ literally means 'gutter rat', using it as an exclamation is extremely rare in daily speech and is almost exclusively found in dubbed versions of English movies or cartoons.
- In Japanese culture, rats are often seen as symbols of prosperity and industry because they are clever and can find food easily, contrasting with the 'dirty' connotation of ドブネズミ.
- In Japanese, the word ネズミ (nezumi) is used to name the infamous 'pyramid schemes' known as ネズミ講 (nezumi-kou). This compares the way participants join the scheme to the rapid breeding of rats.
Examples in context
- すみません、庭にネズミがいます。Excuse me, there is a rat in the garden.
- 倉庫にゴキブリがいるだけじゃなくて、ネズミもいるんだよ。Not only are there cockroaches in the warehouse, but there are also rats.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta realize the store is already closed.
- 健太 Kentaあ、お店が閉まってる。A, omise ga shimatteru.Oh, the store is closed.
- 結衣 Yuiドブネズミ！急いで来たのに。Dobunezumi! Isoide kita noni.Rats! And we hurried here too.
- 健太 Kenta明日また来ようか。Ashita mata koyou ka.Shall we come back tomorrow?
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね、そうしよう。Sou da ne, sou shiyou.Yeah, let's do that.
